The Kremlin is adamant that the EU’s planned 18th package of sanctions will not lead to an end to Russia’s war of against Ukraine.
“Only logic and reasoned arguments can bring Russia to the negotiating table,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state television on Sunday.
“It is impossible to force Russia through any kind of pressure or violence.”
Peskov expressed his conviction that the new package of sanctions sought by the EU will ultimately be adopted despite opposition from Slovakia. However, he said that the tougher the punitive measures, the stronger the backlash against them would be.
Sanctions, Peskov said, are a “double-edged sword.” Moscow often says that the EU itself will suffer even more from the sanctions, for example by foregoing Russian raw materials and energy.
It is also circumventing the restrictions with the help of other countries and has significantly expanded its arms production.
Last Friday, the adoption of the EU’s 18th package of sanctions initially failed due to resistance from Slovakia. A new vote has been postponed indefinitely.
Russia considers the sanctions illegal, according to Peskov.
“Obviously, after almost four years, we have developed a certain resistance. And we have already learned how to minimize the impact of such packages,” he said.
The EU sanctions are primarily directed against the Russian economy and aim to deprive the country of the financial means to continue its war against Ukraine, which is in its fourth year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is urging the international community to intensify sanctions, calling them a vital tool to curb Moscow’s war machine.
“Sanctions should now be one of the most important priorities – the world’s sanctions against Russia,” Zelensky said in his evening video address on Sunday.
The remarks followed his recent signing of a decree aligning Ukraine’s sanctions policy with that of its international allies, including the European Union and G7 group of major democracies. Zelensky also announced plans to adopt EU sanctions against Iran.
Despite the EU’s failure to approve a new sanctions package against Russia, Zelensky called for a renewed effort.
Sanctions, he said, are something “that really limits Russia’s strategic development opportunities, its potential, and should even more painfully limit Russia’s ability to continue this war, the war against our independence, every day.”